Childhood Sweethearts

by Jacob Spears

  “Take him to the car. His car,” China instructed, clearly running the show now.

  Smooth helped him to his feet and picked up the keys. China headed into the garage as the two men headed outside.

  Smooth opened the door to the car and made Boss lay flat on the backseat. China walked back into the house carrying a plastic container of gasoline. Carefully, she poured gas throughout the house, with a large emphasis on Head’s body. Walking out the front door, she threw the lit book of matches over her head.

  “Drive to the warehouses,” she instructed Mo, before getting in Boss’ car with Smooth.

  “You drive. I’ll keep my eyes on him.”

  * * *

  The drive to the warehouse was a long one for both Smooth and China.

  Smooth thought about Head the entire time and wished that China hadn’t killed him. Even though his friend was dead, Smooth admitted to himself that he also might have been dead had it not been for China’s actions. Who knows what Boss had planned. He looked over at her and smiled.

  China wished they’d hurry up and get there. It would be hard to explain what a man was doing cuffed in the back seat if they were to get pulled over.

  What seemed like an eternity was actually only 20 minutes after they’d left Boss’ house. They arrived at the warehouse safely.

  “You better pray we didn’t come here for nothing,” China said before exiting the car. It was almost 9:00 p.m. and there was no activity going on around any of the warehouses.

  “Let’s go, nigga,” Smooth said, as he grabbed Boss’ arm, helped him out of the car, and walked him to the door. Once the door was opened, Boss realized what was wrong when he opened the door to his house. The alarm never beeped.

  “Turn it off,” Smooth said.

  “Where is it?” he asked, once the alarm was quieted.

  Boss pointed at the far wall. Together they all walked over.

  “Where?” Smooth asked.

  “Hand me the remote, right there,” Boss instructed, as had decided to fully cooperate. He pressed a series of buttons on the remote and they watched as the walls opened up, revealing thousands of pounds of marijuana.

  China and Smooth both smiled. Boss closed his eyes and prayed for the day when he’d be able to kill both of them.

  “Bring the truck and hurry,” Smooth said into the phone to Mo.

  Smooth walked over to the wall and picked up a bale of the weed. What he was holding felt as if it weighed about 30 pounds. There were probably 100 to 150 that same size stacked up against the wall.

  Mo arrived and pulled the truck inside, just as Smooth ordered him. Together, the two boys and China loaded up the truck.

  “Oh, before I forget,” China said, as she picked up a rag and ran outside. “I had to wipe down the car.” She smiled at Smooth. “And get this.”

  “Bitch, I’m going to kill you,” Boss spat at China.

  “Not before I kill you,” she responded, as she raised her gun.

  “China, no!” Smooth yelled at her. “Let me.”

  “She hates to be called a bitch,” Smooth said as he raised his gun and placed it toward Boss’ head. Without another word, he squeezed the trigger.

  The sight of the blood oozing from the man’s head, along with the vacant look in his eyes, was too much for Mo. He emptied the contents of his stomach onto the floor of the warehouse.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Smooth snapped.

  “We wasn’t supposed to kill nobody,” he cried.

  China couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “Let’s get out of here, Smooth. You drive.”

  He went around and got into the driver’s seat. China slowly stepped up into the cab and looked back at Mo.

  “Thanks for your help,” she said, as she squeezed the trigger until there were no bullets left.

  “Take me home,” she said to Smooth.

  “What now?” he asked, as he pulled up in front of her house.

  “My job was to get us a connect. Your job was to get rid of the work. I got us the work; now it’s on you.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “I know you will. Give me that bag,” she requested, as she pointed to the bag holding the money and jewelry they’d taken from Boss’ house.

  Smooth handed her the bag.

  “Give me that gun, too. I’ll get rid of them.”

  After handing the gun to her, Smooth put the truck in drive.

  “I love you, China,” he said.

  “I love you more, Smooth. Please be careful.”

  “I will be.”

  With that, he drove off.

  Chapter 5

  Four months had passed since that which the media called “the warehouse murders.” Four months and everyone, including the police, was still completely clueless as to who was responsible. Rumor had it that the Jamaicans had ordered the hit on Boss because he was interfering with their profits. The young boy killed just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Another rumor had it that Boss had robbed some Mexicans out of Arizona awhile back, and they’d finally caught up with him, partly in thanks to the dead boy. There were many rumors, all of which pleased Smooth because they were all far from the truth. Just three days after his 16th birthday, Smooth sat in the driver’s seat of a new cherry red BMW M3—his birthday present from China.

  Roxy had received a safety deposit box for China to store the jewels that they’d taken from Boss. They still didn’t know how much they were worth. Smooth and China both agreed that the weed should be moved as quickly as possible. They placed each pound at $300. With them having 147 bales at 30 pounds a bale, they were looking at a street value of $1.3 million. Combined with the cash they’d also stolen, they were sitting comfortably on more than $2 million. Yet no one had a clue. The car was the only thing they’d purchased. China was still spending the few thousand dollars she saved from her and Smooth’s nickel-and-dime days.

  Smooth turned his head and spoke to the young nigga in the passenger seat.

  Brazen was the often mistaken for a pretty boy due to his light skin and neat braids.

  “You think these niggas official?” Smooth asked.

  “I know they are nigga. You just paranoid as fuck. We good, yo!”

  Brazen was 19 and fresh on the scene from Brooklyn, New York. His reason for moving to Miami was that he’d just graduated from high school and wanted a life where it didn’t snow. That’s what he told everyone. Smooth knew better, thanks to China.

  Brazen’s real name was Brandon Valasquez. He fled from Brooklyn because of his role in a dismantled drug ring. According to the Kings County D.A. Office, Brazen was a top-ranking figure in what he called the largest drug ring he’d seen in his career.

  The ring reportedly trafficked hundreds of pounds of marijuana a week, along with dozens of kilos of cocaine and other dugs along the East coast. After learning that bit of information, Smooth thought that the D.A. must have had a short career. He knew of individuals that moved more work than that. At least he knew one.

  “I ain’t paranoid by a long shot. I’m just careful.”

  “Come on,” Brazen said, getting out of the car, as the other car entered the parking lot.

  “Yo, Sleep, what’s good, my nigga?” Brazen greeted the first of the two men as they approached.

  “Life, nigga. What’s good on your end?”

  “Everything. What’s the deal, Meeks?” Brazen greeted the other dude.

  “Maintaining ... maintaining.” Meeks said, nodding his head.

  “Let’s do this, niggas,” Sleep said, shifting his attention to Smooth.

  Smooth’s hands were in his pockets. His right hand gripped tightly to his pistol.

  “What you got for us?” Sleep asked.

  “What you got for me?” Smooth returned the question.

  Sleep smiled and nodded his approval. He went back to his car and pulled a tote bag from the backseat.

  “It’s all there,” Sleep
said, as he tossed the bag to Smooth, who caught it with his left hand.

  After looking in the bag, Smooth picked up his phone and dialed a number.

  “Come on,” he said, before hanging up.

  “I’m assuming that’s the work you just called for,” Sleep said to Smooth.

  Smooth shook his head.

  Two minutes later, China pulled into the parking lot and headed over to where the four men were waiting. Smooth walked to the trunk of the car and tapped on it. When it opened, he pulled out the duffle bag and replaced it with the tote bag. He tapped the trunk again and watched as the car pulled off.

  Brazen walked over to help Smooth with the bag.

  After placing the bag in the trunk of the car, Sleep opened it so that he and Meeks could take a look inside.

  Satisfied, they nodded to Smooth and Brazen.

  “We’ll be in touch,” Sleep said to Smooth, just before he got in the car.

  “Do that,” Smooth responded.

  * * *

  Smooth pulled up to China’s house and hit the horn.

  “Hey handsome,” she said, leaning over the driver’s side after entering the car. She gave him a kiss.

  “Hi beautiful. How’s Ga Ga?”

  “She’s good. Sleeping as usual. She’s going to be pissed when I tell her I’m moving out.”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Smooth said, as he pulled China onto his side of the car.

  “What’s up?” she asked skeptically.

  “I think we should hold up on moving in together.”

  “Why? This was your idea all along.”

  “Brazen lined up a few deals for us that’s gonna take us out of town if all goes well. We’ll be going out of town a lot. I don’t want to be worried about you while I’m taking care of business,” he told her.

  “I can take care of myself, boy.”

  “Yeah, I know, but it’ll still be distracting for me.”

  Even though it wasn’t what she wanted to hear, she knew he was right and agreed with him.

  “So when are we going to get our own place?” China asked.

  ”Soon.” China shook her head.

  “What?”

  “I need a more specific date than that.”

  “I don’t know what else to tell you, boo.”

  “You need to come up with something and quick.”

  “I haven’t told Brazen how much shit we got. What I’ll do is tell him and see how long he thinks it’ll take for us to move it. Whatever he tells me, then we’ll move.”

  China was shaking her head once more.

  “What’s wrong now?” Smooth asked her, exhaling loudly.

  “Don’t give me your lil’ funky-ass attitude, boy,” China answered with an attitude of her own. “I just think it’s a bad idea for you to tell Brazen what we got. I’ll just be patient.”

  “You will?” Smooth replied, not expecting it be so easy.

  “Yeah, I’ll wait.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  Smooth pulled her face to his and began kissing her as he slid his hand in her pants. China’s wet warmness always made Smooth wonder what it would feel like to finally be inside of her.

  “Stop before Ga Ga sees us,” China warned.

  Smooth never pressured China for sex. He knew exactly when she’d be ready. He’d heard her tell Roxy that she’d do it for her 16th birthday. He’d been waiting for years, so two more months wouldn’t hurt he reasoned. And if he wanted it before then, he knew of several females that were more than willing to please him. He preferred to wait. He and China would lose their virginity at the same time to each other.

  He removed his hand from her pants.

  “What if I can help you get rid of it?” she asked.

  “Nope,” Smooth shook his head.

  “What about us getting our own place, and I’ll stay here when you go out of town? That way I can take care of you whenever you get back.”

  Again, he began shaking his head.

  “Just think about it, please,” China purred.

  “Okay, I will.”

  “Let’s go inside,” she instructed.

  Hand in hand, the two young lovers entered the house.

  “Well, if it isn’t Romeo and Juliet,” Ga Ga teased, as she came out of the kitchen.

  “What’s up Ga Ga?” Smooth said, while wrapping his arms around her.

  “My blood pressure. I’m so tired of working hard and still not getting anywhere. That’s why it’s important for y’all to get an education. In the world today, you got to have an education. You need to be smart about a lot of things and real smart about everything else. Your education is the only thing that can’t be taken away from you. That’s why I’ll continue to work my fingers to the bone. My babies are going to college.”

  China, who was sitting on the couch flipping through the latest edition of Don Diva magazine, seemed to sink a little deeper after hearing her mother’s words. She had no plans of going to college.

  “You don’t need to do that, Ga Ga,” China told her mother.

  “Child, hush! I’m going back to bed. Y’all be good.”

  With that, Ga Ga left them alone.

  * * *

  After wrapping up a deal in which he sold 200 pounds to a Haitian from the northwest section of Miami, Smooth decided to pick up an apartment guide. China’s 16th birthday was only a month away and he wanted it to be the best day of her life. He decided to get their own place, just as they’d planned all along.

  One of the places that caught this eye was located in Aventura. It had all of the amenities he and China could possibly ever want and then some. He called the number and arranged to see the place. The leasing agent said that she’d be available any time and that he could come by any time before four.

  Smooth thanked her and hung up the phone. He was eager to see the place, but before could do that, he called up China to let her know he was on his way over.

  “What’s up Monica?” Smooth greeted the female exiting China’s house, just as he arrived.

  “Ain’t nuttin’” she said, biting her bottom lip as she walked past him.

  Monica and China had been best friends since the first grade and did practically everything together. She was the one who China had called when she first got her period. To all who could see, their bond was unbreakable.

  “What my girl doing?” he asked, ignoring what she’d just done.

  “Go find out,” she answered, as she walked away adding some twist to her hips.

  Smooth contemplated telling China about Monica’s actions but decided against it. Ever since he’d been driving his M3, the attention he’d been getting from the opposite sex increased ten-fold, including from Monica. Periodically, she’d call him just to make small talk. Initially, Smooth hadn’t thought anything of it, until her intentions became clear. He changed his number, but several hours later Monica would have his new one. He changed his number two more times; however, Monica got those new numbers, so he gave up.

  “Hi handsome,” China greeted him, as he walked through the door.

  “Hey beautiful,” Smooth said as he pulled her into his arms.

  “How’s your day going so far?” she asked.

  “It’s going good. I just need some time to take care of a few things.”

  “How much?” China asked.

  “I’m not sure. I got something I need to take care of. I’ll see you when I get back.”

  “Okay.”

  Back in his car, Smooth thought about Monica. She was his girlfriend’s best friend, so why was she coming on to him so strongly. Even though she was able to give China a run for her in the beauty department, surely she didn’t think he’d leave his girl for her or even risk it. He wondered if China put her up to it. But he quickly pushed the thought aside. If China even though Monica was trying to make a move on him, he thought, she’d probably kill her.

  Smooth was the only person alive who’d seen that treacherous s
ide of China.

  “Maybe I should put Brazen on her,” he said to himself.

  He dialed his number.

  “You busy tonight?” he asked.

  “Why, what’s the deal?” Brazen responded.

  “My girl and I are going out and she wants to bring Monica along. I’m going to need someone to keep either me or Monica company.

  “That the slanted-eye, red-bone beauty?”

  “That’s her,” Smooth replied.

  “I’m ya man, most def!”

  After confirming with Brazen, Smooth called to inform China of his plans. She agreed and said that she’d call her friend.

  * * *

  Smooth made it to the leasing office a few minutes before 3:00 and was greeted warmly by a brown-skinned sister with long, neat dreads pulled back into a ponytail.

  “Hi, my name is Miranda Burkley. How can I help you today?”

  “Hi Ms. Burkley, my name’s Donavan Johnson. I believe I spoke with you earlier about a place in Aventura.”

  “Oh yeah, come this way.”

  Miranda guided Smooth to her office where she offered him several different refreshments, all of which he politely declined.

  She poured herself a drink from behind her desk.

  After being as specific as possible, Smooth was asked to follow Ms. Burkley to another room.

  He watched as the lights were lowered and the image from the projector covered the wall.

  “If you see anything that catches your interest, let me know; and if you’d like, we can go and take a look at it. This way saves us time and money.”

  Smooth watched as the cameraman walked the full length of the back and front yards, and then toured the inside.

  The place was beautiful but not what he wanted.

  Ms. Burkley moved on to the next.

  After several places, Smooth finally came across one he thought was perfect for him and China.

  It was located on the 16th floor of a 25-story high rise that was right in the heart of Aventura. Everything about the place screamed class and sophistication.